Historically, vampires have been seen as harborers of deceit, hiding their sinister nature behind formal, charismatic facades. It's fitting, then, that Shade Man didn’t even start out as a Robot Master, but as an attraction for an amusement park! After watching one too many Bela Lugosi films, Dr. Wily stole the animatronic and gave it life, turning it into Shade Man. Dr. Wily intended to give Shade Man sound wave emitters that would control the subconscious mind, allowing Wily to captivate the peoples’ hearts through Shade Man. However, after some early wiring frustration, Wily realized it would be much easier to simply amp up the volume and turn Shade Man into a destructive combat robot. After all, what’s easier, spending years infiltrating human governments while keeping up a beguiling alter ego, or to simply threaten them with a weapon able to destroy concrete like a soprano shatters glass? Still wanting to give Shade Man some way of controlling the battlefield, Wily equipped Shade Man petrifying laser optics and a thirst for oil, allowing Shade Man to refuel on the fly… literally! Arguably the only flaw in Shade Man’s design is his frailty, as any weapon with enough punch can dislodge Shade Man out of the sky. Well, that and his singing voice. Vampires are supposed to be enchanting, but Shade Man’s singing is anything but. Unless maybe you’re a junkyard cat, maybe.